“We played a good pace for the entire 90 minutes. We dominated, then Costa Rica tried to dominate. They played well, but we were excellent in defense and neutralized opponent’s strengths, which we knew ahead of the game,” Krstajic told journalists.

He added that he was pleased with his team in both defense and attack, even though Serbia were unable to take all their chances, with Aleksandar Mitrovic being the main culprit.

“Everyone knows about Mitrovic’s qualities, but he was just a bit unlucky today. We are saving him for the next games, he is a very important asset on the field, both in defense and attack,” the head coach added.

Serbia will next face next Switzerland in Kaliningrad on Friday.